Scott Brown up big in Massachusetts Senate poll

Former Sen. Scott Brown has a 20-point lead over the DSCC’s preferred candidate in a special election to replace likely incoming Secretary of State John Kerry, according to a poll released Friday.

Brown draws 53 percent of the vote to 31 percent for veteran Rep. Ed Markey, according to the poll from MassINC. Kerry and the DSCC have endorsed Markey for the Senate seat. Markey actually does worse than a generic Democrat, who would draw 36 percent of the vote to Brown’s 44 percent.

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Brown hasn’t declared his candidacy for the seat yet, but hinted in his farewell address that he would like a return to Washington. Brown has also been mentioned as a 2014 gubernatorial candidate. Fifty-five percent of voters have a favorable view of Brown, compared with 32 percent with a negative view.

Markey is more popular than the other two most frequently mentioned Democratic candidates, but remains little-known statewide. Twenty-four percent of voters have a favorable view of Markey, and 17 percent have a negative view. Despite serving in Congress for more than three decades, 39 percent of Bay Staters have never heard of Markey, and 25 percent lack an opinion about him.

Rep. Steve Lynch, who appears ready to challenge Markey in a primary, is viewed positively by 19 percent of voters, and negatively by 14 percent. A whopping two-thirds of the electorate have either never heard of Lynch or lack an opinion about him. Rep. Michael Capuano, who has ruled out a run, is viewed positively by 18 percent.

While the establishment is lining up behind Markey, a favorite of environmentalists and liberals, Democrats want to see him face a primary against Lynch, an abortion-rights opponent and former union steelworker. Only 16 percent of Democratic primary voters said party leaders should encourage other candidates to drop out of the race and back Markey. A whopping 71 percent preferred a competitive primary.